How to Recruit Unemployed Candidates for #Learnerships
A recruitment strategy targeting unemployed youth can include Department of Labour assistance.
Employers, training providers or SETAs can ask the Department of Labor to help them find unemployed learners.
The Department will search their database, hold interviews and make a list of the most suitable unemployed people for the learnership.
Note: If you are a potential learnership candidate and not a business, click here for relevant registration information.
Learnership Requirements
Learnerships must meet regulatory standards, the term cannot be applied to any random intervention. A Sector Education and Training Authority (SETA) may only grant permission to start a learnership if –
(a) the learnership consists of a structured learning component;
(b) the learnership includes practical work experience of a specified nature and duration;
(c) the learnership would lead to a qualification registered by the South African Qualifications Authority and related to an occupation; and
(d) the intended learnership is registered with the Director-General in the prescribed manner.
Finding and choosing unemployed learners
If employers, training providers or SETAs want to make use of the service of the Department to find and choose unemployed learners for their learnerships, they must take the following steps:
- Step 1: Contact the nearest labour centre
Write to the Employment Services Practitioner at the nearest labour centre and ask them to find unemployed learners.
In the letter, show the –
- name, contact person and address of their organisation;
- type of learnership;
- NQF level of the learnership;
- number of learners they are looking for;
- start date of the learnership; and
- selection criteria (if they have decided it).
What will the Department do?
They will let you know if they can assist you within 14 days.
They will let you know if they can assist you within 14 days.
If they are able to help, they will set up a planning meeting.
Links to Labor Centre Contacts
The following links will take you to Labor Centre contact details for each province:
Step 2: Attend the planning meeting
In the planning meeting the employer, training provider, SETA and Department decide what education, experience and other traits they want the learners to have.
What will the Department do?
The DoL will search their database for unemployed people that will suit the learnership.
The DoL will search their database for unemployed people that will suit the learnership.
They then invite 5 times as many people as is necessary to come to a briefing session.
Step 3: Attend the briefing session
Employers, training providers and SETAs can attend the briefing session if they want to.
What will the Department do?
The DoL will tell unemployed people at the briefing about the learnership and ask them if they want to be part of it.
The DoL will tell unemployed people at the briefing about the learnership and ask them if they want to be part of it.
They also hold interviews with people who want to be part of the learnership.
After the interviews, the DoL will create a shortlist of suitable candidates and inform the organisation.
Step 4: Choose learners
Employers, training providers and SETAs can choose the learners they want from the list.
This service is free, but the Department may ask for help with venues when they organise the briefing sessions and interviews.
Related Links from the Department of Labor Website
- Basic Guide to Employment Contracts (Learnerships)
- Sectoral Determination 5 requires that employers give learner workers certain details of their employment in writing
- Basic Guide to Learnership Agreements
- Under the Skills Development Act, an agreement must be signed by the learner (a type of apprentice), employer and training provider
- Basic Guide to Learnership Disputes
- The Skills Development Act provides procedures for resolving disputes about learnerships (a type of apprenticeship)
- Basic Guide to Learnership Requirements
- The Skills Development Act allows Sector Education and Training Authorities (SETAs) to start learnerships only if certain conditions are met
- How To Join a Learnership if you are Unemployed
- Unemployed people must register as work-seekers and look for employers.
- How To Set Up Learnerships if you are an Employer
- Employers must choose a learnership, training provider and apply for a learnership grant.
- Basic Guide to Learnership Agreements
- Under the Skills Development Act, an agreement must be signed by the learner (a type of apprentice), employer and training provider
- Basic Guide to Sector Education and Training Authorities (SETAs)
- Sector Education and Training Authorities are required to work out and implement sector skills plans and promote learnerships. They are responsible for handing out funds.
- The South African Qualifications Authority (SAQA)
- Visit the website of the South African Qualifications Authority (SAQA)
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